Binding machine transfer device

ABSTRACT

Textile material is pushed onto a rotating ring of needles at a transfer station by two pressure plates, one above and one below the needles, which are respectively moved toward and away from the needles longitudinally thereof by means of two eccentrics 180* out of phase and driven by a common shaft. The shaft may be mounted by means of an arm for pivoting movement between the transfer station and a rest position removed from the needles. Suitable controls are employed for operating the motors to drive the shaft and the ring of needles.

Rolf Flach Kempten;

Fritz Krause, Durach; Erhard Muller, Kempten; Hermann Fendt; Otto Butter,

[72] Inventors Marktoberdorl', Germany [2]} Appl. No. 730,153 [22] Filed May 17, 1968 [45] Patented Feb. 16, 1971 [73] Assignee Kemptener Maschineniabrilt GmbH Kempten, Allgau, Germany [32] Priority May 19,1967, Sept. 27,1967 [3 3 1 Germany [31] X62318 andK63468 [54] BINDING MACHINE TRANSFER DEVICE 17 Claims, 10 Drawing Figs.

[5 2] U.S. C1 112/26, 26/5 7 [51] Int. Cl 1005b 7/00, B23b 25/00 [50] Field of Search 271/51; 112/27; 26/57A; 112/25; 112/26 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 743,990 1 H1903 Scholfield 26/57(A) 2,889,789 6/1959 Sidore 112/26 3,094,954 6/1963 Burd 112/27 FOREIGN PATENTS 912,325 5/1924 Germany 26/57(A) Primary Examinen-Richard E. Aegerter Attorney-Craig, Antonelli, Stewart & Hill PATENTEU FEB 1 6 1971 SHEET 2 BF 3 Fig. 6

PATENTEDFEBIGBYI SHEET 3 OF 3 v 3,553,192

I I ll m I I BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known to provide binding machine transfer devices wherein the transfer element moves back and forth approximately longitudinally of the adjacent needles, which move in a closed circular path by being mounted on a rotatable needle ring or mount. Such transfer devices facilitate the transfer or mounting of woven and knitted goods to the base needles of binding machines oi'jthe like.

It is known to provide the transfer element, which moves longitudinally toward and away from the adjacent needles, with two circular discs separately rotatably mounted to serve as pressure pieces or pusher members engaging the sheet material. One of these discs is mounted closely above the adjacent base needles and the other disc is disposed closely below them. During the transfer procedure, the two discs are moved uniformly to and fro particularly radially with respect to the needle ring, to press the sheet material onto the base needles. 7

During the above transfer procedure, the largest resistance extends in the plane of the needles, that is, between the two discs. In order to avoid damage to the needle base, a substantial spacing must be provided between the needles and the pusher members or pressure pieces, even though this is undesirable with respect to overcoming the above mentioned resistance. Thus in the case of relatively dense or solid sheet material, there is the substantial danger that some of the sheet material will remain between the discs and thus not be completely transferred, or be wedged between the discs to interrupt the rotatable movement .of the needle ring and/or feed of the sheet material. Furthermore, it has been found that once the transfer process is disturbed as mentioned above by wedging or incomplete transfer, it will not correct itself and it is necessary for the operator to turn the needle ring back and to start the transfer process again from the point where it failed. This not only requires constant vigilance and attentiveness by the operator, but can also lead to damage of the sheet material to be transferred or damage of the needles. Furthermore, the known transfer device described above is driven by means of a takeoff from the machine drive and thus requires a correspondingly complicated transmission linkage with relatively large number of oscillating masses. The vibrations and oscillations transmitted to the machine by these oscillating masses interfere with the transfer process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a transfer device that will safely, completely and gently transfer any type of sheet material, without producing interfering oscillations or vibrations. Primarily, the prior art disadvantages are overcome by the present invention by rotatably mounting at least one pressure member on a rotating eccen- BRIEF DESCRIPTION OFTHE DRAWING Further objects, features andadvantages of the present invention will become more clear-from the following detailed description of the drawing, wherein:

FIG. I is a somewhat schematic partial cross-sectional view through a transfer device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a modified construction'ofthe pressure members tobe employed with the device ofFIGJ;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of an edge-feeding device to be employed in combination with the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the device according to FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of a guide device with a guide groove for the stitch bars tobe employed in combination with the transfer device of FIG. I;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the device according to FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of another embodiment of the transfer device according to the present invention, with portions removed;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken through the housing for the pusher members and the immediately associated drive thereof; and

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the housing shown in F IG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION or Tl-IE DRAWING i As shown in FIG. 1, the stationary housing rotatably supports a needle ring mount 2 for rotationabout a vertical axis. The needle ring is provided with a plurality of base needles arranged in a circular row around the: periphery of the needle ring 2 of the binding machine or the like. The stationary housing 1 carries an arm 4 that pivotally mounts on its outer end a support member arm portion 5 bymeans of the substantially horizontally extending hinge or pivot pin 6. The support member portion 5 pivotally mounts a locking pawl 7 that is spring urged into engagement with a. selected one of the two notches 8 that are rigidly mounted to the adjacent end of the arm 4 as shown in FIG. 1. After releasing the pawl 7 by pivot ing it in the counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 1 against the bias of its spring, the-support arm portion 5 may be pivoted clockwise and approximately radially with respect to l the needle ring 2 into a rest position indicated by the dot-dash line 5 where the pawl 7 will engage the other of the notches 8.

A drive shaft 9 is rotatably supported concentrically within the support arm portion 5 and rotatably driven by means of a flexible shaft 10 secured to the drive spindle of the drive motor 11, which motor is attached to the stationary portion of the arm 4. It is contemplated that the drive motor Il may be mounted at other desirable locations of the housing, or directly upon the support arm portion 5. The top free end of the drive shaft 9 drivingly carries two eccentrics I2 that are angularly offset with respect to each other, preferably out of phase by Each of these eccentrics 12 is provided with a pusher member plate or disc-shaped pressure piece 14 freely rotatably mounted thereon by means of respective ball bearings 13. Thus, each pusher "member plate or pressure piece 14 is mounted individually and freely rotatably on its respective eccentric 12. A substantial spacing is provided between the two pressure pieces 14, which are substantially parallel to each other. With rotation of the needle ring 2, the

row of needles 3 is moved to the' space between the pressure pieces 14 at a transfer station formed with the support arm portion 5 in the position shown in FIG. 1; the pressure pieces 14 being disposed as closely as possible to the immediately adjacent needles 3 at the transfer station,

By operation of the drive motor lll through the flexible shaft 10, the shaft 9 is rotatedso that the pressure pieces 14 each bodily move in a circular path determined by the respective eccentrics l2 and in planes substantially parallel to the needles at the transfer station. The woven or knitted goods to be transferred are gently pressed onto the tips of the needles" of the needle row 3 by the operator before they reach the transfer station, thereafter, rotation of the needle ring 2 carties the woven or'knitted goods to thetransfer station to be acted upon by the pressure pieces 14. Due to the above described rotating motion of the pressure pieces 14 caused by the respective eccentrics 12, the pressure pieces 14 will gently push the sheet material woven or knitted goods completely By the thus produced alternate pushing action of the pressure pieces 14 above and below the material to be transferred with respect to the adjacent needles of the needle row 3, there is reliably effected a complete and gentle transfer of the material onto the row of needles 3 at the transfer station.

With the completely freely rotatable mounting of the pressure pieces 14 by the bearings 13, the direction of rotation of the shaft 9 is of minor importance because the friction between the material and the pressure pieces 14 will assure the correct rotation of the pressure pieces 14 with respect to the material to be transferred. However, it can be advantageous to have the pressure pieces 14 driven by means other than the inherent friction between them and the sheet material to be transferred to assure that the pressurepieces 14 will move along the material in the direction of rotation of the needle ring 2 to further conveythe material in the transfer direction, particularly to facilitate the beginning of the transfer process. Such a drive of the pressure pieces 14 independent of the friction with the material to be transferred may be accomplished by means of a slight frictional coupling between the rotating shaft 9 and the pressure pieces 14 so that with such a construction the direction of rotation of the shaft 9 becomes important. For this purpose, felt discs or the like are provided, for example, which discs rotate with the shaft 9 and frictionally contact one or both of the pressure pieces 14, so that the pressure pieces 14 will be driven by and with the shaft 9.

On the other hand, it is contemplated that stationary felt washers 20 or the like, as shown in FIG. 3, may be stationarily connected to the support arm portion 5 for frictional engagement with the pressure pieces 14. With such a construction, the rotational influence of the shaft 9 through the bearings 13 may be effectively neutralized so that the pressure pieces 14 will move safely along on the material to be transferred, without being influenced by the rotation 'of the shaft 9.

To further assure complete removalof the pressure pieces 14 from the transfer station during nonuse, that is to further provide for removal of the transfer unit 9-14 in addition to the addition changes provided by the pin 6 and the pawl locking arrangement 7, 8 the arm 4 is subdivided by means of a hinge 15 so that the support arm portion 5 may be swung into a horizontal position, for example. Locking means, not shown in detail, may be provided to securely lock the support member, formed by the support arm portion 5 and the movable portion of the arm 4, in either a horizontal nonuse position or in a transfer station vertical position, as desired.

Actuation of the drive motor 11 may be accomplished by means of a hand or foot'operatedswitch, which preferably would be mounted on the support 5 tobe turned on and off simultaneously with actuation of the locking lever 7. Also, it is contemplated that such a switch may be automatically turned on when a support arm portion 5 is moved into the transfer station position illustrated in FIG. 1 by means of an abutment between the switch and a stationary portion of the housing I, with the switch being spring biased into its off position when moved away from the abutment by'movement of the support arm portion 5 toward its rest position 5, for example.

Furthermore, it is contemplated that the support arm as a unit may be rotatably mounted with respect to the housing 1 for rotation about a vertical axis of the rotatable needle ring 2, with locking means being provided to secure selected positions. Also, the support arm 4 maybe mounted to the housing 1 above the needle ring 2 so that the transfer unit 9-14, during nonuse, may be pivoted upwardly into its rest position, for example. With rotatable mounting of the support arm 4 above the needle ring 2, it would be particularly desirable to mount the drive motor 11, in a suitable manner, to the base of the support arm. In such a case, current would be supplied to the motor from above by means of sliding contacts.

Also, it is contemplated that the support arm 4 may be telescopically mounted with respect to the stationary housing 1 and/or with respect to the support arm portion 5 to extend or retract the transfer unit 9-14 between its nonuse position and its transfer position at the transfer station. Also, it is contemplated that the transfer unit 9l4 or the entire transfer device including the drive motor 11 may be manually detachable from the remainder of the binding machine by means of quickrelease coupling or rapid-action closures.

In order to further facilitate the transfer of material onto the needles, additional auxiliary transfer element attachments may be detachably secured in the proximity of the transfer device 9-14 at the transfer station, particularly by providing detachable coupling for the attachments at the support arm portion 5 or at the cover 16 that partially surrounds the pressure pieces 14, for example as shown in FIG. 3. Thus, the unrolling of regular tubular edges, for example, can be achieved by a conventional uncoiler, whereas for the uniform feeding of 1 normal edges and cutting edges of pieces of material, a guide element 17 is provided having an approximately U-shape opening downwardly (FIGS. 3-5). Preferably, the guide element 17 is mounted above and in front of the needles of the row of needles 3 at the transfer station, as seen in the transfer direction. The spacing between the needle row 3 and the upper end of the guide element 17 corresponds approximately to the height of the desired protruding edge of the goods to be worked upon. Furthermore, a guide gib, fillet or strip 18 may be provided for accurate guidance in the stitch bars. The gib 18 is disposed at a small distance in front of the needle tips of the needle row 3 and likewise in -front of the pressure pieces 14, as seen in the transfer direction. All of these auxiliary devices 17, 18 are readily attachable and detachable, preferably with the aid of quick-action locks; in this connection, identical connecting points may be provided for several auxiliary attachments. Moreover, these attachments are mounted to be additionally pivotable, foldable, or slidable, so that they can be moved from the operating position into a rest position, if necessary, with a single manipulation. Also, it is preferable to make the additionalattachments 17, 18 from a transparent material so that a view of the transfer procedure will not be restricted. I

Within the broad aspects of the present invention, the transfer unit 9-14 is not limited to the use of disc-shaped pressure pieces 14. For example, lever-shaped pressure plates or pusher members 14' may be provided as shown in FIG. 2 to replace the pressure pieces 14 of FIG. 1. The pressure pieces 14' are mounted on respective eccentrics l2 and rounded at the end contacting the material to be worked upon. The pressure pieces 14' have an outwardly extending arm provided with holes elongated in the radial direction for the reception of a fixed pivot pin 19; thus, the pressure pieces 14' will pivot about the pin 19 upon rotation of the eccentrics 12 so that the pressure pieces 14' will execute a curved motion for pushing the material to be transferred onto the row of needles 3.

Although there are, specific advantages related to the specific shapes of the illustrated pressure pieces, it is contemplated that broadly the pressure pieces may be round, oval, cloverleaf or heartleaf in shape, or of similar shapes.

To prevent catching of the material to be transferred at the support 5, particularly the pawl 7, the support 5 within the vicinity of the needle ring 2, including the pawl 7 and optionallythe arm 4, is provided with a smooth casing 40, shown in dot-dash lines surrounding the above mentioned elements in FIG. I. With such a casing 40, the pawl 7 would be actuated by means of the pushbutton illustrated in dot-dash lines in FIG. 1. In order to obtain a completely smooth covering of the transfer element parts and to eliminate all manual operation, it is also contemplated that the pivoting of the support member between the operating transfer station position and the rest position may be accomplished by' means of a suitable linkage operable by the foot or knee of the operator. This linkage may be completely mechanical or electromechanical with the use of electromagnets, for example.

Also, it is contemplated that broadly speaking the flexible shaft 10 may be replaced by a belt drive consisting, for example, of several components mounted to levers pivotally connected to each other as is commonly used with dentistry appliances. Also, it is contemplated that only a singlepressure piece. 14 or 14' arranged above or below the needles of the needle row 3 may be employed; also, the single pressure piece could be provided with a groove receiving therein the adjacent needles of the needle row 3.

According to the. embodiment of FIG. 8, a motor 22 is rotatably mounted to the outer free end of the support arm 4 by means of a spindle 21 depending from the bottom of the motor22 andtelescopically rotatably received within the tubular end of the support arm 4. The upper portion of the housing of the motor 22 carries the support arm portion 5, which is constructed as a hollow housing. The shaft of the motor 22 directly drives the wheel 23, which is rotatably mounted within the support housing 5. A similar wheel 24 is rotatably mounted in the other side of the housing 5 and is drivingly connected with the wheel 23 by means of a belt drive. The wheel 24 is drivingly connected with the drive shaft 9, which in turn drives the pressure pieces 14; the pressure pieces 14 may be constructed similar to any of the pressure pieces previously described. The support housingS may be pivoted from the illustrated operating position at the transfer station into a rest position, indicated in dot-dash lines, by rotation about the axis of the spindle 21. The housing of the motor 22 is provided with an extension 25 having a recess'engaged by a springloaded pin 26 to hold the housing 5 in the illustrated position of FIG. 8. The pin 26 may be moved from its illustrated locking position into a release position by means of the handle 27 so that the transfer unit may be pivoted to the dot-dash line rest position. Spring 28 is provided for biasing the support housing 5 into its dot-dash line rest position; the spring 28is a coil spring mounted within the tubular support arm 4, with one end secured to the spindle 21 and its other end secured to the adjusting member 29. The adjusting member 29 may be moved relative to the support arm 4 for setting a desired pretensioning of the return spring 28.

A switch 30 is provided for turning the motor 22 on and off. Preferably, this switch 30 is mounted beneath the support housing 5 and is a mercury switch. The support housing '5 moves in a plane inclined with respect to the axis of the needle ring 2 at an oblique angle; in the operating position, thesupport housing 5 orients the outermost portion of the switch 30 downwardly and to the left, and in the dot-dash line rest position, the support housing holds the outermost portion of the switch 30 in a position pointing upwardly and to the right. Due to these opposed inclined positions, the contact within the switch 30 are closed in the full line illustrated operating position and opened in the dot-dash lined rest position; thus, by the displacement of the support housing 5 into its operating position, the motor 22 is automatically turned on, and upon displacement of the support housing 5 into its rest position, the motor 22 is automatically turned off. In place of the mercury switch 30, it is contemplated that a pushbutton switch may be provided to be actuated in one of the two positions, preferably the operating position, by means of a suitable placed relatively stationary abutment.

The transfer of the woven or knitted goods onto the needles 7 of the needle row 3 is always connected with a rotational movement of the needle ring 2. Preferably, a drive motor 22 is provided on the arm 4 or another part fixedly connected to the housing I, for rotatably driving the needle ring 2. The drive motor 32 is pivotally mounted about a horizontal axis 31 and rotatably drives a friction wheel 33; therefore, the friction wheel 33 may be brought into contact with the under side of the rotatably mounted material receptacle 34 drivingly connected to the needle ring 2 by pivoting the motor 32 in the counterclockwise direction, with respect to its illustrated position of FIG. 8. A lever 35 is securely connected with the motor 32 for pivoting it about the horizontal axis 31, for example, to be actuated by the operators knee. A compressed spring 36 biases the motor 32 in the clockwise direction, that is, biases it in a direction to maintain the friction wheel 33 out of contact with the receptacle 34. A stationary abutment 37 limits the clockwise pivoting movement of the motor 32. The motor 32 is turned on and off by means of the switch 30 that is actuated by movement-of the transfer unit. "By pivoting the support housing 5 into the operating position, the motor not the transfer unitand themotor 32 for' rotating the'needle ring'2 are automatically switched on,.an;d during the return movement of the support housing 5 into its do't-dash line rest position, the motors 2 2 and 32 are switched off. It is possibleto connect the motor 22 of the transfer unit with the drive unit for rotation of the needle ring 2, sothat both devices are'st into rotation by a single motor 22; however, the separate motors are designed to prevent vibration transfer and for simplicity. Also, the support housingS may be rotatably mounted on the motor 22 ,with the motorQZZ securely fixed to the support arm 4 or directly on the support arm 4, while the motor 22 accordingto-FIG. I wouldbe fastened at another 'place, for example directlyto the housing 1. g r

As shown in FIG. 9, the support housing 5 is of a bipartite closed construction with the wheels 22, 23, the belt'drive, and the switch 35 illustrated therein. On the top of the free end of the support housing S, a cylindrical extension 38 is provided with releasable means 39 for mounting auxiliary units l7, 18, which have previously been described.

With the present invention, according to the'above embodiments and variations,a considerable advantage is attained due to the curved motion-of the pressure piece'orpiece's, with the gentle transfer of the goods onto the needles of the needle rows 3. A jamming of the pieces of material to be transferred and/or an incomplete 'trans'fe'rthereof is safely avoided. Even very dense, that is, goods that are difficult to transfer, are

securely transferred witho'ut disturbances, particularlywhen employing two'pressurelpieces'offsetin the direction of rotation above and beneath the needles of the transfer station. Also, the pressure pieces have only a small mass so that interfering oscillations are avoided. A completely shock-free transfer procedure. Also, the transfer unit is mounted so thatit may be completely removed from the transfer station during nonuse during process steps wherein it is notrequire'd, which removal may be easily accomplished by the operator. A con-' siderably simplification of the operation of the transfer unit is accomplished with the automatic switching means for turning it on and off solely in response to movement of the transfer unit into and out of its operating position at the transfer station. When an additional separate motor is provided for rotating the upper portion of the machine, particularly the needle ring, this additional motor may be advantageously turned on and off simultaneously with the motor of the transfer unit, without requiring additional manipulations. Accordingly, the

present invention provides a device of aid in the binding-off process of a binding machine, which device operates in a simple manner and greatly facilitates the-work carried out by the.

person operatingthe binding machine.

While several embodiments and variations have been illus trated and described in detail for preferred constructions, further modifications, variations and embodiments are contemplated within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.

We claim: e 1. An arrangement wherein a transfer device pushes material in the longitudinal direction of and onto a plurality of needles arranged in a row and driven relatively past the transfer 2. The arrangement of claim 1, .including a rotatably mounted needle ring; a row of needles extending around the entire periphery of said needle ring to be moved in a closed path past a transfer station by rotation of said needle ring and constituting the plurality of needles arranged in a row; said pusher member being a plate extending parallel to and closely adjacent the needles at the transfer station.

3. The transfer device according to claim 2, wherein said sheet pusher member plate is pivotally mounted about a point on the opposite side of said eccentric from said transfer station.

4. The transfer device of claim 2, including a second rotatably mounted eccentric; a second sheet pusher member plate rotatably mounted on said second eccentric substantially parallel to and on the opposite side of the needles from said first mentioned sheet pusher member plate.

5. The transfer device of claim 4, wherein said two eccentrics are mounted together to be offset from each other for rotation substantially 180 out of phase.

6. The transfer device according to claim 2, including a rotatably mounted drive shaft carrying said eccentric; a pivotally mounted support member carrying said drive shaft for pivotal movement of said drive shaft between a first transfer position with said sheet pusher member plate closely adjacent said needles at said transfer station and a second storage position removed a substantial distance from said transfer station.

7. The transfer device according to claim 6, including a relatively stationary housing; said support member comprising a first portion carrying said shaft and a second arm portion pivotally connected to said housing, with said first and second portion being telescopically mounted with respect to each other for adjustment.

8. The transfer device according to claim 6, including operator leg actuated means for pivoting said support member between its two positions.

9. The transfer device according to claim 6, wherein said support member is mounted for movement in an oblique plane inclined with respect to the axis of said needle ring for movestationarily mounted drive motor and flexible shaft drivingly connecting said drive motor with said drive shaft.

12. The transfer device according to claim 6, wherein said support member includes readily disengageable means for attaching auxiliary devices. v

13. The transfer device according to claim 6, including drive motor means for rotatablydriving said drive shaft; and automatic switch means for supplying current to said motor with said support member in said first position and for interrupting the supply of current to said motor with said support means in said second position.

14. The transfer device according to claim 13, including a second motor means for rotatably driving said needle ring about its axis; and said switch means supplying current to said second motor with said support member in said first position and interrupting the supply of current to said second motor with said support member in said second position.

15. The transfer device of claim 14, wherein said drive motor means also simultaneously drives said needle ring about its axis.

16. The transfer device according to claim 6, wherein said support member includes a first portion carrying said shaft at one end and a second portion pivotally mounted to the other end of said first portion for pivotal movement of said first and second portions as a unit and for'lpivotal movement of said first portion relative to said secon portion to'further move said sheet pusher member plate away from said transfer station.

17. The transfer device according to claim 16, wherein said support member is mounted vertically above said needle ring. 

1. An arrangement wherein a transfer device pushes material in the longitudinal direction of and onto a plurality of needles arranged in a row and driven relatively past the transfer device along the extent of the row, the improvement comprising: the transfer device including an eccentric, means mounted to said eccentric for effecting the free rotation thereof and a sheet pusher member mounted for free rotation on said eccentric, wherein said eccentric continuously rotates during the operation of the transfer device.
 2. The arrangement of claim 1, including a rotatably mounted needle ring; a row of needles extending around the entire periphery of said needle ring to be moved in a closed path past a transfer station by rotation of said needle ring and constituting the plurality of needles arranged in a row; said pusher member being a plate extending parallel to and closely adjacent the needles at the transfer station.
 3. The transfer device according to claim 2, wherein said sheet pusher member plate is pivotally mounted about a point on the opposite side of said eccentric from said transfer station.
 4. The transfer device of claim 2, including a second rotatably mounted eccentric; a second sheet pusher member plate rotatably mounted on said second eccentric substantially parallel to and on the opposite side of the needles from said first mentioned sheet pusher member plate.
 5. The transfer device of claim 4, wherein said two eccentrics are mounted together to be offset from each other for rotation substantially 180* out of phase.
 6. The transfer device according to claim 2, including a rotatably mounted drive shaft carrying said eccentric; a pivotally mounted support member carrying said drive shaft for pivotal movement of said drive shaft between a first transfer position with said sheet pusher member plate closely adjacent said needles at said transfer station and a second storage position removed a substantial distance from said transfer station.
 7. The transfer device according to claim 6, including a relatively stationary housing; said support member comprising a first portion carrying said shaft and a second arm portion pivotally connected to said housing, with said first and second portion being telescopically mounted with respect to each other for adjustment.
 8. The transfer device according to claim 6, including operator leg actuated means for pivoting said support member between its two positions.
 9. The transfer device according to claim 6, wherein said support member is mounted for movement in an oblique plane inclined with respect to the axis of said needle ring for movement downwardly from said second position to said first position; a motor for rotatably driving said drive shaft; mercury switch means attached to said support member for starting and stopping said motor in response to movement of said support member.
 10. The transfer device according to claim 6, including adjustable spring means for biasing said support member from said first position toward said second position.
 11. The transfer device according to claim 6, including a stationarily mounted drive motor and flexible shaft drivingly connecting said drive motor with said drive shaft.
 12. The transfer device according to claim 6, wherein said support member includes readily disengageable means for attaching auxiliary devices.
 13. The transfer device according to claim 6, including drive motor means for rotatably driving said drive shaft; and automatic switch means for supplying current to said motor with said support member in said first position and for interrupting the supply of current to said motor with said support means in said second position.
 14. The transfer device according to claim 13, including a second motor means for rotatably driving said needle ring about its axis; and said switch means supplying current to said second motor with said support member in said first position and interrupting the supply of current to said second motor with said support member in said second position.
 15. The transfer device of claim 14, wherein said drive motor means also simultaneously drives said needle ring about its axis.
 16. The transfer device according to claim 6, wherein said support member includes a first portion carrying said shaft at one end and a second portion pivotally mounted to the other end of said first portion for pivotal movement of said first and second portions as a unit and for pivotal movement of said first portion relative to said second portion to further move said sheet pusher member plate away from said transfer station.
 17. The transfer device according to claim 16, wherein said support member is mounted vertically above said needle ring. 